


Be Strange With Me

by the100vaticancameos



Category: The 100
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2015-12-17
Packaged: 2018-05-07 04:23:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5443184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the100vaticancameos/pseuds/the100vaticancameos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raven x Octavia Modern AU with lots of strangeness and carrying.</p>
<p>Given for thehundredladies Secret Santa.</p>
<p>For clarkesmech!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Be Strange With Me

Raven realized that it was the little things that were hard. Getting up in the morning. Riding the bus to work. Wearing long dresses. Getting into and out of cars. Cooking. Showering. And, last but most definitely not least, not ripping her leg off every second and a half because oh my god, who knew anything could itch THIS much??  
Having a broken leg sucked.  
The cast sucked, the crutches sucked, walking to her third floor flat sucked.  
She was cursing a mental blue streak trying to carry three bags of groceries to her car from the market when one crutch slipped and everything landed on the ground. Cans, fruits, bagged veggies and assorted bottles splayed across the parking lot.

“Crap!” she yelled to the empty lot, sitting in a tangled heap of crutches and bags. Heaving herself into a partially standing position, she began the arduous process of gathering up her groceries, one by one, and re-bagging them.

“Holy shit!” came a shout from somewhere behind her, and in a second, brown hair and black boots were helping her into a standing position and racing around to gather her groceries. In what seemed like an instant, her purchases were gathered and re-bagged.

“Which one’s your car?” the girl asked, all business. Raven was a little taken aback, but managed to point to the green Mazda parked in the corner. Her mysterious helper shouldered her bags and then did the strangest thing Raven had ever experienced. The brunette picked her up, one arm under her knees, the other under her shoulders, and marched her to her car like it was nothing, bulky bags, crutches and all.

“There!” she announced, gently placing Raven down and situating her with her crutches again. Raven was rarely at a loss for words, but she felt that this qualified as a good time to be dumbstruck.

“Uhhhh, thanks” she muttered, gears turning as she tried to figure out what was going on.

“You needed help” the girl shrugged, and then stuck out her hand “I’m Octavia.”

“Raven” she muttered, awkwardly returning the handshake.

“So, what happened?” asked Octavia as she began loading Raven’s purchases into her car.  
Raven inwardly groaned, this was not a story she wanted to tell. “My car sorta...rolled over my leg.” She stopped herself. “Is that strange?”

“It’s not that strange.” Then, Octavia raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you’re driving it home?” Raven nodded. “Metal!” Octavia whispered to herself as she finished loading the bags and slammed the trunk closed.  
Octavia then realized she was feeling something...not quite right. What was she feeling? Was it...respect? Tinged with admiration? This was so not good.

“Well,” she stuttered, tossing her hair over her shoulder, “I hope you get home ok”, and stalked off.  
Octavia left Raven feeling a little confused and more than a little concerned. She made her way into her car and started to drive herself home. The seemingly bubbly girl who had helped her up and gathered her groceries had, all of a sudden, become cold and distant. Brushing it off as one of the oddities of the world, Raven unloaded her groceries, this time without any mishaps, and went about her day.  
...  
Octavia also went home mulling over the situation, but in a far less positive light. She couldn’t stop kicking herself.

"You picked her up? Like some sort of insane knight-in-shining-armor? And you just helped her without even asking? Maybe she was fine! And you introduced yourself. You acted like the total weirdo. Why do you always go so crazy around cute girls?"

She refused to let herself be sucked into the spiral of love and pain again. It had been months since her last breakup, and love was rough on the heart. Attempting to steel herself, she made plans for a quiet night in playing video games with her brother. Halfway through, he set down his controller.

“You’re not even trying.”

Octavia sighed. “I’m not even trying.”

Bellamy raised his eyebrows. “Ah come on, I expected at least a little more resistance than that!”

Octavia turned away, she didn’t want to talk about it.

“O” coaxed Bellamy, “tell me what’s wrong. I’m sure I can fix it somehow”.  
At that Octavia laughed. Her brother was famously bad at solving her problems for her. When she was younger, he couldn’t even clean her cuts when she’d scrape her knee. He used to faint at the sight of blood. But, he was a good listener. She tucked a knee under herself and prepared the version of her story that wouldn’t make her look like a total sap.

“I met a cute girl and then was a total awkward idiot to her today”.

Bellamy looked her straight on. “I know exactly what that’s like.”

She busted up. “What? My brother? The guy that thinks dates to history museums are the pinnacle of fun has been a ‘total awkward idiot’? Say it’s not true! He’s always so smooth and gets all the girls,” she teased. Facing him now, she let Bellamy grab her hand.

“Go out.”

“What?” she was beyond confused.

“Go out, get this strange girl off your mind.”

“Are you condoning my drinking?” Octavia was 21, but her brother kept a stern eye on her, ‘fearing for her safety’ or something like that.

He looked up, pained. “Yes, but just. this. once.”

Octavia squealed, which was not a sound she made often. “Whatever you say!” She jumped to her feet and ran to her room to get ready.  
...  
A month later, Raven was beyond relieved to be getting her cast off. Even the slightly terrifying sound of the saw that cut it open couldn’t dampen her joy at the thought of being able to take a normal shower again! And walk, and go back to work, and do everything that had been disrupted by her stupid mistake! But mostly, she just wanted a night out.

She went home, took a gloriously luxurious shower (no plastic bags involved!) put on her best dress, too much jewelry, and some sensible shoes. She didn’t think her legs were ready for heels after months in a cast.

It was a bit too chilly for the short dress she wore, but as she scooted out of the cab (was there a graceful way to get out of a cab?) and onto the pavement in front of the club, she felt a rush of exhilaration to be free! Finally free! She stepped under the awning and through the door to a dimly lit room with reasonably volumed music, which was why this was the club of her choice.

After about half an hour of dancing, she decided to give her still-weak leg a rest. Finding a bar stool, she sat down with a thump.  
The girl next to her turned around to see who had interrupted her space of silent (tipsy) contemplation. As she registered the face of her new companion, her eyes began to widen. Raven was just stunned.

“Hey, aren’t you...”

“Wait, didn’t ...”

“You’re the girl who picked me up in the parking lot, like physically picked me up, not the date way.” Raven was a little tipsy as well, and not terribly articulate in the best of times. Octavia nodded slowly, contemplating. She silently turned away, slammed her drink back, and looked at Raven through the corner of her eye, her makeup making her eyes look huge and sultry.

“Can I have a second try?” she inquired with a raised, and perfectly coiffed, eyebrow.  
Raven spread her hands in a ‘whatever-you-want’ gesture. Octavia turned all the way on her stool, facing Raven full on.

“How about we both go to the dance floor, and I don’t carry you...For a change.”  
Raven laughed and nodded, pushing herself off the barstool, leg complaining slightly after so long being unused, and then being pushed so hard in one evening. She wobbled for a moment, but Octavia grabbed her around her waist and held her up.

“Had a few?” she asked with a laugh as they made their way to the dance floor.

Raven smiled and flipped her long hair over her shoulder. “I actually just got my cast off.”

“Hey! That’s not too bad. Guess you won't need your personal valet anymore?” Octavia joked.  
And then they danced.  
...  
The rest of the night was incredible. They danced until Raven’s leg gave out, and then they went to a nearby cafe. In the small, warm room, they drank spiked hot chocolate, the house specialty.

Raven laughed to herself and then shook her head before taking a sip of the warm beverage her hands. “It’s 3 am and I’m drinking an alcoholic children’s beverage with a strange woman in a cafe.”

“I’m not that strange!” complained Octavia. Raven smiled and glanced away.  
Octavia grinned behind her drink and took a sip, making sure to get whipped cream on her nose. Raven looked over to see what she was giggling about.

“Oh my god, are you two? I can’t take you anywhere.”

“You haven’t yet.”

Raven gave her an inquisitive look.

“I paid for the drinks. Take me somewhere” she pointedly replied.

“It’s 3am, nowhere’s open.”

“So take me home.”

“Your brother, Bob, no, Blake, no that’s your last name, Blime, wait, Bell...something? Well, whatever his name is, he wouldn’t want a strange girl showing up with his half-drunk sister.” she lowered her voice to a whisper, leaning in. “It wouldn’t make a good impression!”

Octavia leaned in until she was practically cross-eyed, looking at the beautiful woman across the table from her. “You’re not that strange.” she whispered back. And that’s when they kissed. It was cliché and beautiful and tasted like chocolate and warmth. After a moment, they fell away, hearts fluttering.

“My house?” Raven asked.

“Your house” Octavia agreed breathlessly. And before Raven could protest, the object of her affection picked her up and carried her down the block.  
...  
Octavia woke up in a panic. Strange room, strange bed, strange feeling. She sat up and realized she was still in her clothing from the night before. This meant two things. One, she probably looked like a mess, because if she hadn’t gotten undressed, she hadn’t had time to take her make-up off. And two, she had not had drunk sex. Which was a positive. The acrid smell of tea brought her into the small kitchen of the adorably messy apartment.

“Hi” she said apprehensively, because if you only meet someone twice, and the first time you pick them up literally, and the second time you’re a little drunk, you still don’t know them very well.

“Hey” said Raven slowly, with equal apprehension. “Tea?”

“Sure”

After a few tense minutes, Raven broke the silence. “Did we have sex last night?” she blurted.

Octavia laughed breathlessly. “No”

“You remember?”

She winced. “Not as well as I’d like to, but-” she reached down and tugged at her leg, “I can guarantee I did not get these tights off and back on while half asleep and drunk. I remember kissing in the cafe,” and here, she blushed ”but I’m sure that’s as far as anything went.”

Raven nodded. “Good. I have a thing against one-night stands.”

Octavia was a bit taken aback, and more than a little offended. “If this is a one night stand, I’ve broken rule 1. You know my name and I know yours.”

“No, no, I wasn’t trying to say that...” Raven stopped herself. “Let me try again. You’re wonderful. Breakfast?”

Octavia nodded, and Raven grabbed the eggs.  
...  
“So.” said Raven as she munched on some toast, “tell me about yourself.”

“Well, my life started off as a mistake, and that’s been a bit of a running theme.”

Raven raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.

“My mom only meant to have one kid, but then right before my dad left, he got her pregnant again, and so here I am!”

“And that’s a good thing. What would I have done without my knight-in-shining-armor in the parking lot oh so many months ago?”

“I see we’re not light on the sarcasm this morning.”

“We never are.”

After a few moments of silence, Octavia spoke up.

“I embarrassed myself so many times while in your presence.” she laughed self-deprecatingly, “Thank you for not giving up on me. Is it too soon to say that?”

“Not at all” Raven responded. “I appreciate the honesty.”

“My mom raised me right.”

“She raised you perfectly,” Raven murmured, eyes drifting from Octavia’s dark irises.

Their laughter faded into silence and after a minute, Raven walked around and put her head on Octavia’s shoulder. Octavia turned to face her, and gently pulled Raven in for a kiss. Soon, it became more than that. Raven’s hands were meshed in Octavia’s hair. Octavia had Raven by the hips and was holding her tightly. She pulled Raven to the wall and their embrace deepened. Now, lips were not only on lips but down necks and arms.

After a few minutes of warmth, they found themselves halfway down the wall and partially disheveled.

Suddenly, Octavia had Raven’s shoulders in a death grip. “This can’t end. You make me feel happy. Every second has been...” she searched for the word, Raven’s eyes searching hers, “unimaginably incredible. I’ve been here with you for less than 24 hours and you care about me. That’s unusual and new and I think I love it.”

Raven’s eyes locked onto Octavia’s. “I know I love it. I love this, I love your honesty, and I might just love you.”

Octavia’s gaze turned wicked, “Want to find out?”

And with that, Raven pulled her back into the bedroom.  
...  
The next week, the unbelievable happened, Octavia broke her ankle. Daredevils that they were, they’d gone to a dance class. Neither had ever danced before, but they thought salsa looked incredibly fun. One wrong step, Raven’s foot had caught on her girlfriend’s ankle, and before they knew it, they were in a heap and Octavia had a funny feeling in her left foot. She finished the class (of course), but when she passed out afterwards, Raven carried her all the way to the hospital.

Raven made it a point to carry Octavia everywhere for the next few weeks. They’d be getting off the train and suddenly, Octavia would be in Raven’s arms and passers by would gasp and the elderly couples would coo about how romantic it all was. Octavia would smile, a little embarrassed, but mostly just smitten, Raven would set her down, and they’d share a kiss.  
...  
Two years later, Raven found herself half fallen to the ground again, but this time of her own volition. She had gotten on one knee and proposed to her girlfriend of two-and-a-half-years. Octavia had screamed in the middle of the restaurant and picked Raven up, spinning her around until Raven’s heel had nearly knocked over a glass of champagne. The woman next to them was the only person not applauding. 

She whispered to her date in the kind of voice that was meant to be heard, “That was so thoughtless of them, interrupting our dinner like that! These lesbians, all so strange!”

Octavia looked over at the woman, death in her eyes, ready to protect her fiancé at all costs: “Strange and loving it.”

**Author's Note:**

> I so hope you enjoyed this! As with many of my fic gifts, I've made a short playlist of songs relating to the fic. Find it here:  
> http://8tracks.com/parkers6/to-have-and-to-hold-and-to-be-strange-with
> 
> Comments and kudos very much appreciated.


End file.
